From controversial career choices to legal troubles, these adult entertainment personalities have made headlines for reasons beyond their work. Join us as we explore the most talked-about figures in the industry, their controversies, and the lasting impact they've had on popular culture.
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00:00You know, of course, the President of the United States denies all this.
00:05He can deny it all he wants.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the major names in adult
00:11entertainment who have been surrounded by controversies and scandals.
00:14But the reality for you was that your face was now known throughout the world.
00:21Michelle McGee
00:22She rose to infamy in 2010 after allegedly having an affair with Jesse James, who at
00:26the time was married to Sandra Bullock.
00:28The revelation ended Bullock's marriage, but that's far from the most shocking thing
00:31McGee has ever done.
00:32She also posed for a risque photo shoot dressed as a Nazi.
00:35Her ex-husband claimed that she supported white supremacist ideology, which McGee has
00:39denied.
00:40Bizarrely, she's not the only adult entertainer that Jesse James has been involved with.
00:44His ex-wife, Janine Lindmolder, worked in the industry for decades.
00:47After their divorce, the two got into a nasty custody battle over their daughter.
00:51James won that battle due to Lindmolder having a criminal record, even though she was only
00:55convicted of tax evasion.
00:56We've never sat down and talked.
00:59You know, that's the one thing that I wish more than anything.
01:03Bonnie Blue
01:04My content is educational to those that I'm sleeping with and those that are watching it.
01:08She hails from England, but in late 2024, she traveled to Australia for the traditional
01:12week-long end-of-school holidays to film content with recent high school grads.
01:16Australians were so furious over the stunt that Blue was kicked out of the country.
01:20Then, she and fellow adult entertainer Annie Knight, who is Australian, hopped over to Fiji to
01:25attempt the same thing there, and got kicked out of that country too.
01:27Blue also claims to have set a world record by having sex with over 1,000 men in one day.
01:32Now, she says she hopes to double her own record.
01:34It's all the Karen's at home that are going to complain about me being here that are making
01:38me rich because they make it blow up.
01:40Cameron Bay
01:40In 2012, the adult film industry was fighting a ballot measure in Los Angeles that would
01:45require actors to wear condoms.
01:47Major producers in the industry claimed it was a violation of free speech.
01:50They also argued that since they require performers to get tested every two weeks, the chance
01:54of infections are small.
01:55Then, in August 2013, Cameron Bay, who had only worked in the industry for three months,
02:00tested positive for HIV.
02:01Obviously, it was a pretty bad look for the business.
02:03Filming was completely shut down for two weeks while the source of the infection was investigated.
02:07Bay has since spoken out about how little protection is given to performers on set.
02:12John Holmes
02:12He was one of the most famous names in adult entertainment.
02:15Holmes rose to stardom thanks in part to the unusual size of his...anatomy.
02:19In fact, the character of Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights was based on Holmes.
02:22What is your problem?
02:23That fame turned to infamy in 1981 after he was linked to the brutal murders of four of
02:28his associates, which occurred after they robbed the home of nightclub owner Eddie Nash.
02:32Holmes was tried and acquitted for the attacks, which remain unsolved.
02:35The 2003 film Wonderland is based on the events, with Val Kilmer portraying Holmes.
02:39The star later tested positive for HIV, but continued making movies without telling anyone
02:44about his diagnosis.
02:45He was only 43 years old when he died in 1988.
02:48You know, there's a lot more stories like this in Hollywood.
02:51Hundreds, thousands, hell, maybe even millions.
02:54It kind of makes you wonder what's going on this very minute in any one of those stories.
02:59Tracy Lourdes
02:59It would be easier to say Tracy Lourdes is a bimbo.
03:02I mean, that is so typical.
03:04If she looks familiar to you, it's probably because she spent most of her career doing
03:08mainstream movies and TV shows.
03:10It's a petition.
03:11The zoo wants to separate the gay penguins.
03:13Her work in adult films ended just after she turned 18.
03:16You heard that right.
03:17After she turned 18.
03:19Lourdes used a borrowed birth certificate to obtain a driver's license and passport that
03:23she said was several years older than she actually was.
03:26She then used those IDs to get jobs modeling for Penthouse and other magazines and shooting
03:30adult movies.
03:31When the deception was revealed, none of Lourdes' employers suffered any legal consequences,
03:35since the documents were legit, just inaccurate.
03:37But of course, all of the material she produced was seized by the FBI and banned.
03:41Can Tracy Lourdes erase her past?
03:43No.
03:44Can she succeed in legitimate show business in spite of it?
03:47The evidence says she already has.
03:50Mia Khalifa
03:51This Lebanese-American star's breakout wasn't just controversial.
03:54It actually put her life in danger.
03:55She became one of the most searched names on adult websites after performing in a video
03:59while wearing a hijab.
04:00Why didn't you then say, I'm not doing it?
04:04Intimidation.
04:05I was scared.
04:06The move drew tons of criticisms from both Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and Khalifa
04:10even received death threats from terrorist groups.
04:12Immediately after it was released, it shattered my entire world.
04:17Ironically, Khalifa isn't even Muslim herself.
04:19She was raised Catholic.
04:21Since then, she's dipped her toes into a variety of business ventures, including becoming
04:24a successful social media influencer.
04:27She's also worked as a sports broadcaster, launched her own jewelry line, and done some
04:31fashion modeling.
04:31I think a part of it was also rebellion and wanting to do something so out of bounds and
04:36so out of character that I shocked even myself.
04:40Riley Reid
04:41She's been a successful star in adult entertainment since she was 19.
04:44In the 2010s, multiple publications predicted that she'd be the next big thing in adult content,
04:49and she's won more than 50 industry awards.
04:51So what makes her so controversial?
04:52In 2012, she shared a story on Twitter about losing her virginity in a movie theater with
04:56her boyfriend of four months.
04:57The problem is that her boyfriend didn't consent, and Reid appeared to brag about that point.
05:01Strangely, the story has mostly flown under the radar and apparently hasn't affected
05:05Reid's career.
05:06James Dean
05:07Born Brian Matthew Sevilla.
05:09He was one of the hottest male stars in the 2000s and 2010s.
05:12He looks like somebody that I could see at, you know, a coffee shop or something and actually
05:17approach.
05:18He gave interviews on major news shows, won industry awards, starred alongside Lindsay
05:22Lohan in a mainstream movie, and even gave college lectures.
05:25However, that all changed in 2015 when nine women, including an ex-girlfriend, and several
05:30industry co-stars accused him of abuse and assault.
05:32Dean denied the allegations, even as multiple companies cut ties with him.
05:35In 2016, director Maria Dimopoulos accused Dean of stealing legal releases from her office
05:40to stop the distribution of a documentary that covered the allegations against him.
05:45Dean is still performing, though the awards and invitations for speaking engagements have
05:48dried up.
05:49He was an asshole.
05:50He was a horrible boyfriend, you know.
05:51It's not against the law to be a horrible boyfriend.
05:53Stormy Daniels.
05:55She probably needs no introduction.
05:57In 2018, Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Gregory Clifford, became an overnight media sensation.
06:01I'm not a liar, and I am not a gold digger, and I did not do this because I'm starved for
06:07attention.
06:07The Wall Street Journal alleged that Donald Trump's personal lawyer had paid Daniels
06:11over $100,000 to keep quiet about a sexual encounter the two had in 2006.
06:16Things only got crazier from there.
06:18The lawyer, Michael Cohen, pled guilty to violating campaign finance laws and spent three
06:22years in federal prison.
06:23Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records but received no penalty.
06:27This is a political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history.
06:34Daniels filed a defamation lawsuit that went nowhere and published the tell-all book.
06:38Since the scandal has died down, she's kept busy, directing a reality TV show and even
06:42doing stand-up comedy.
06:43I like your style.
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07:00Ron Jeremy
07:01Even if you've never seen an adult film, you've probably heard the name Ron Jeremy.
07:05Despite his unconventional appearance, he performed in over 2,000 films and directed almost 300.
07:10I've been in over 2,500 adult movies.
07:13He also cameoed in numerous mainstream movies.
07:15However, in 2017, his off-screen behavior started to become public.
07:19Dozens of women began coming forward and accusing Jeremy of assault.
07:22In 2021, he was arrested and indicted on 30 counts of assault.
07:25The 67-year-old now faces a total of 28 counts.
07:29After about seven months in jail, he was transferred to a mental health facility as a result of being
07:33in cognitive decline.
07:34In 2023, a judge declared him unfit to stand trial.
07:37He was released to a private residence, meaning that, like so many other perpetrators,
07:41Jeremy will never face consequences for his actions.
07:44Which of these adult entertainment scandals did you think was the most shocking?
07:47Let us know in the comments below.
07:49No, it was terrifying.
07:50But my coping mechanism is humor.